Jashore Meets 60% of the Country’s Fish Hatchlings & Fish Larvae

Jashore is now home to the country’s largest fish seed market, supplying around 60 percent of the country’s total demand for fish seed and fingerlings. The trade has generated extensive economic activity, providing livelihoods directly and indirectly to several hundred thousand people.

More than 100 hatcheries have been established in Chanchra and surrounding areas on the outskirts of Jashore city. They produce seed and fingerlings of various fish species every year, supplying local demand and sending the surplus to different parts of the country.

At the Chanchra fish seed market alone, an average of 400 to 500 maunds of fry are traded every day, with an annual market value of around Tk 100 crore. The market currently has 500 to 600 active traders. Fish seeds are transported daily by trucks, pickup vans, bus roofs and trains to Dhaka, Sylhet, Mymensingh, Cumilla, Barishal, Bhola, Faridpur, Khulna and other districts. At least 2,000 more people depend on the market for their livelihoods.

Traders said Rui is currently selling for Tk 250–300 per kg, Mrigal for Tk 220–280, Catla for Tk 250–300 and Silver Carp for Tk 150–170. Shing fry are selling at Tk 1,200–1,500 per 1,000, Tengra at Tk 400–600 and Pabda at Tk 1,500–1,800. The number of buyers and sellers at the market has increased recently due to increased rainfall.

According to the Jashore District Fisheries Department, hatcheries in the district produced 47,157 kg of fry of various species, including Rui, Catla, Mrigal, Koi, Shing, Tengra and Tilapia, in the last fiscal year. The district’s own demand was 19,317 kg, while 27,734 kg of surplus fry and fingerlings were supplied to other districts.

However, according to the District Hatchery Owners’ Association, there are more than 100 large and small hatcheries in Chanchra and surrounding areas. Firoz Khan, former president of the Jashore District Hatchery Owners’ Association, said commercial production of fish fry began in Jashore in the 1980s. At present, hatcheries in the district sell fry worth at least Tk 200 crore every year.

Meanwhile, Jashore hatchery entrepreneur Amirul Haque received the National Fisheries Award (Gold Medal) for producing quality seeds and contributing to electricity and water conservation through the use of modern technology. The proprietor of National Fish Hatchery in the Chanchra Dalmill area produced 10,000 kg of fry worth around Tk 40 crore in the last fiscal year. The use of solar panels has reduced electricity costs at his hatchery by around 60 percent, while water recycling is helping prevent the wastage of groundwater.

Jashore District Senior Fisheries Officer Monirul Mamun said Amirul Haque received the Gold Medal for his expertise in saving electricity and water, improving management and producing quality fry. “Jashore’s hatchery industry is playing a major role in the country’s fisheries production,” he said.

Shamsuddin Chowdhury Sumon, general secretary of the Jashore Fish Hatchery Owners’ Association, said the fry produced in the area are in high demand nationwide because of their quality. However, he said the sector could contribute more to the national economy if the government addressed rising production costs, power problems and transportation difficulties.